1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for providing mobile services using a code pattern, and specifically, to a system and a method for providing mobile services, for example, a content providing service, a geographical information providing service, a product information providing service, a taxi call service, a personal contact information providing service, a payment service etc, using the code pattern.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Recently, mobile terminals have been widely used and mobile communication technologies are also being rapidly developed. Further, various mobile services using mobile terminals are being developed. However, there are still needs for a new mobile service to provide various content more conveniently and to allow users to use various services more easily.
It has been common that companies, which have their own websites, provide their URL information along with product information in advertising their products in a newspaper, magazine or catalog. This can be an effective marketing method over a conventional advertisement method, which does not provide such website information, such that customers can visit the websites and obtain more information about the products that they are considering purchasing.
However, in reality, it is less likely that a person, who reads the advertisement having the URL information, remembers or writes down the URL, and visits the internet site and buys the product from the website since it is not convenient to memorize the website address. So, there has been a need to effectively induce a person who reads the advertisement having website information to actually buy the product.
Travelers carry a guidebook when they travel. But, due to a limited space, guidebooks generally do not provide detailed and helpful information. Particularly, when those books contain certain foreign language information, travelers usually do not find those books very helpful.
Furthermore, when travelers try to visit, e.g., a specific building, certain publicly available directions, for example, shown at a subway station, to the building, may not be sufficient for them to find the place. Thus, there has been a demand for conveniently providing sufficient travel information to travelers.
Recently, according to the development of mobile communication technology and the spread of mobile terminals, a transportation calling service using a mobile terminal is being used. However, a user cannot use this service if he does not know the telephone number of a calling service company. Even if a user (traveler) knows the contact information, he may have difficulty in explaining his location if he is a stranger in that area. Thus, there has been a demand for conveniently providing a taxi calling service with the use of a mobile terminal.
Meanwhile, a bar code has been extensively used in many places, such as retail stores and book stores. Recently, a business card, containing a bar code for, e.g., telephone number, has been developed. The bar code can be used to call or store the telephone number in a mobile terminal. However, to do so, a bar code reader is required to be either embedded in or connected to a mobile terminal.
Korean patent No. 0414523 discloses “apparatus and method of acquiring data through codes to be extracted from the pattern.” This patent relates to obtaining certain information from a code pattern.